


25 Days of Clizzy

by pulvisetumbra



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Background Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Bad Pick-Up Lines, Candy Canes, Canon-Typical Violence, Christmas, Christmas Tree, Clizzy is not a background pairing, Cookies, Eggnog, F/F, Fluff, Hanukkah, Hot Chocolate, Ice Skating, Kissing, Movie Night, Moving In Together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-01
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-03 13:33:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 6,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8715901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pulvisetumbra/pseuds/pulvisetumbra
Summary: 25 drabbles following Clary and Izzy as they celebrate their first Shadowhunter Christmas together.





	1. December 1: Star[bucks]

**Author's Note:**

> So I’ve been wanting to get back into the habit of writing everyday, and since there’s not nearly enough Clizzy fanfiction out there I’ve decided I’m gonna do the [25 Days of Christmas OTP Challenge](http://astudyinfic.tumblr.com/post/134012970809/25-days-of-christmas-otp-challenge).
> 
> The same thing is happening on my [Tumblr](http://dustyshadowhunters.tumblr.com/)!

They were walking back to the Institute after a mission when Clary realized it was almost December. She pointed this out to her fellow Shadowhunters and got two annoyed faces, and a soft chuckle from her girlfriend.

“We know.” Izzy told her.

“Demon season.” Alec added.

Clary stared at him. “Demon season?”

“The Mundies go nuts.” Jace elaborated. “It’s stressful, it’s dramatic, sometimes it’s violent. Demons are drawn to that. Especially Shapeshifters. They’re jerks. ‘Tis the season to be hunting Santa.”

Twenty seconds passed, and Clary realized they weren’t joking. She cleared her throat. “I mean - I’m not surprised you don’t celebrate Mundane holidays. I just thought demon season would be, I don’t know, Halloween. Not Christmas.”

“Well, it’s like Jace said. A lot of people go off the rails, this time of year.” Izzy retracted her blade and slipped the handle into her pocket, stepping out of the way of a middle-aged couple.

“Well, I’m glad they didn’t go with the green one,” the woman said, looking down at her coffee cup, “or plain red, like last year. This is so much better. Christmas is saved.”

Jace raised his brow. “See? Demons love people like that.”

“Right.” Clary reached down, lacing her fingers with Izzy’s. “Yeah. I think I see your point.”


	2. December 2: Hot Chocolate

Shadowhunters didn’t get much free time, Clary had come to learn. When they weren’t risking their lives in the field they were writing mission reports or arguing with the Clave or training. Clary wasn’t complaining (much) - hey, at least her life was exciting nowadays - but it would be a lie to say that she didn’t jump at every opportunity to get even a few minutes of precious free time.

And today they had finished their reports early, so Clary had grabbed Izzy by her mesh sleeves and dragged her girlfriend out before Alec could talk them into squeezing in an extra training session. Now they were sitting at Java Jones, drinking hot chocolate and watching the Mundanes go about their everyday lives.

Well, Izzy was watching the Mundanes. Clary was watching Izzy and regretting she hadn’t brought a sketchbook. Izzy looked breathtaking, a relaxed smile playing on her burgundy lips and a cool autumn breeze playing with her dark hair.

But Izzy always looked breathtaking. And Clary always wanted to draw her. That was why she hadn’t brought her sketchbook; it was full and she hadn’t had a chance to buy a new one yet.

Izzy finally turned her smile on Clary. “What? Do I have chocolate on my face?”

“Hm, what?” Clary blinked, blushing softly. “No.”

“Well, you do.” Izzy chuckled and reached out to thumb at the corner of Clary’s mouth, before leaning in for a chocolatey kiss. “This is nice,” she said when she pulled away, “we should do this more often.”

“Yeah, we should.” Clary agreed, and leaned in again.

The only thing more fun than drawing Izzy was kissing her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the [25 Days of Christmas OTP Challenge](http://astudyinfic.tumblr.com/post/134012970809/25-days-of-christmas-otp-challenge).
> 
> The same thing is happening on my [Tumblr](http://dustyshadowhunters.tumblr.com/)!


	3. December 3: Snow

They were on patrol when the weather finally decided to acknowledge that it was December. Clary felt a prick of cold on her forehead and pulled her hood into her face, thinking it was going to rain, when Izzy called out, “Guys!”

Clary looked up, and instead of rain there was snow, soft white flakes falling faster and faster.

“Great.” Alec grumbled; because of course he didn’t like snow. “Just what we needed.”

Izzy, on the other hand, loved it. And Clary knew her well, so when Izzy knocked on her door later that night and asked if she wanted to take a walk, Clary was already fully dressed and ready.

“Let’s go.”

Armed with Izzy’s demon-sensing necklace and childish excitement (and also two seraph daggers and Izzy’s whip - contrary to what Magnus might think, not all Shadowhunters had a death wish) they went to the park, holding hands and enjoying this rare moment of peace.

Clary made Izzy put on her jacket before she allowed her to lie down to make a snow angel, and when rolling around and making angels in the snow turned into rolling around and making out in the snow, she mentally patted herself on the back for that decision. Izzy was wearing a lace top over a black sports bra, which was not appropriate rolling-around-in-the-snow attire.

“Stop!” Clary gasped out a laugh when Izzy pulled her on top and slipped icy cold fingers under her sweatshirt, tickling her. “Your hands are cold.”

“Sorry.” When Clary sat up to look at her, Izzy didn’t look sorry at all.

Clary sighed. “We should go back.” Izzy’s dark hair stood out against the snowy background like a pool of black silk. Clary ran her fingers through it. “Before Alec finds out we’re gone.”

“We should.” Izzy agreed, and curled her hand around the back of Clary’s neck to pull her down for another kiss.

By the time they got back to the Institute, the sun was up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the [25 Days of Christmas OTP Challenge](http://astudyinfic.tumblr.com/post/134012970809/25-days-of-christmas-otp-challenge).
> 
> The same thing is happening on my [Tumblr](http://dustyshadowhunters.tumblr.com/)!


	4. December 4: Candy Canes

They were sitting in Magnus’ living room, talking about a crossroad demon he’d discovered, and Clary was trying to pay attention. She was trying very, very hard, because Clary always paid attention during mission briefings. They were important, and unlike some people (Jace), Clary was not too proud to acknowledge that there was more to demon hunting than going out there and making some bad guys explode with your glowy sword.

Unfortunately, Clary’s girlfriend was too beautiful to be real.

Magnus had put a bowl of candy canes on the table and Izzy had taken one and was sucking on it, and Clary was staring at her, thinking about a lot of things that had absolutely nothing to do with demon hunting.

Izzy knew, of course she did, and she wasn’t helping at all.

She released the cane with a pop when Magnus asked her a question, and Clary watched her mouth move but didn’t hear her answer, squirming in her seat when the candy cane vanished between Izzy’s lips once more.

This went on for some time, until Magnus asked Clary a question, and all Clary could reply with was, “Huh, what?”

Alec looked up from the files to frown at her, clearly confused, but then he saw Izzy’s smirk and the penny dropped.

“For god’s sake,” he said in the very weary voice of a man who had been dealing with this for too long, “can you two keep it together? We’re supposed to be working.”

Izzy laughed and Clary did too, despite the blush she could feel rushing to her cheeks, and she pulled herself together for the rest of the meeting. When it was over she dropped a handful of candy canes into her bag - for the debriefing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the [25 Days of Christmas OTP Challenge](http://astudyinfic.tumblr.com/post/134012970809/25-days-of-christmas-otp-challenge).
> 
> The same thing is happening on my [Tumblr](http://dustyshadowhunters.tumblr.com/)!


	5. December 5: Christmas Tree

“I wish we had a Christmas tree.” Izzy’s head was pillowed on Clary’s shoulder, her fingers playing with a strand of Clary’s hair. “I always thought they were beautiful.”

Clary stilled her hand, which was tracing Izzy’s Strength rune. “So there’s no demon season tree?”

Izzy laughed. “No. Too cheerful, I guess.”

“Huh.” Clary said.

That night, she sneaked out to visit Magnus. If Izzy wanted a Christmas tree, Izzy would get a Christmas tree. One that was demon season appropriate.

Magnus wasn’t convinced at first, especially when Clary pointed out that they would have to be stealthy.

“That’s a cute idea, biscuit, but the idea of spending my night evading Nephilim is about as appealing as… hm. Why don’t you make up your own unpleasant scenario?”

Clary folded her arms. “Alright. Sure, I understand. Although… I’m sure that Alec would have loved to have a Christmas tree.”

Magnus narrowed his eyes at her, then put his drink down and clapped his hands, creating a portal.

“Let’s go, biscuit, we have work to do.”

Clary smiled as she stepped into the purple light. It was good to know that she wasn’t the only one who had it bad.

She didn’t get any sleep that night. Magnus was picky, and by the time the tree was done it was 5:30 in the morning. In the end it was worth the effort. The tree looked amazing, without being too Christmas-y. They had used Halloween ornaments instead, sparkling bats and black cats and little silver ghosts, and string lights with tiny skulls that lit up in all colors of the rainbow.

When Izzy entered the breakfast hall the next morning, her eyes lit up brighter than the tree - and Clary didn’t feel tired anymore. She just felt proud, and very much in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the [25 Days of Christmas OTP Challenge](http://astudyinfic.tumblr.com/post/134012970809/25-days-of-christmas-otp-challenge).
> 
> The same thing is happening on my [Tumblr](http://dustyshadowhunters.tumblr.com/)!


	6. December 6: Angel

“So what now?” Clary called out, plunging her blade into a Shax demon before it could rip out her throat.

“Uh,” was Jace’s tremendously helpful answer, followed by a grunt as he wiped out a Ravener.

They had gotten themselves cornered during a mission which had looked easy on paper but had turned out to be much more than just a small group of demons going after Mundanes. The going after Mundanes part was right, but the small group had turned out to be a group of thirty, give or take, and when the Shadowhunters had noticed their mistake, it had been too late to turn back. To make matters worse, they had gotten separated. Clary and Jace had been backed into a dirty alleyway, and Alec and Izzy were god knows where.

“Jace!” Clary tried again, narrowly avoiding a nearby Ravener’s tail. “We need to-”

But she was interrupted by the sound of metal cutting through the air as Izzy curled her whip around the Ravener’s neck and hurled it off of Clary, slashing through the demon with her seraph blade before spinning around and taking out two of its friends. Alec was behind her, his arrows doing the rest, while Clary took a moment to recover, to just stand there and stare at Izzy.

Her dark hair was whirling around her head, her skin was illuminated by the fiery glow of disintegrating demons, and Clary couldn’t help but think that if she wasn’t already in love with her, this would be the moment she fell. Izzy had never looked more like an angel than she did right now.

When the fight was over Izzy rushed towards her, gripping her shoulders.

“Are you okay? Clary?”

“No.” Clary stated, and licked her lips as Izzy’s face darkened with worry.

“Are you hurt? What’s wrong?”

“I’m not hurt, just…” Clary shook her head and finally pulled Izzy into a tight hug. “So in love.”

When Alec muttered, “Oh my god.”, Clary didn’t need to look up to know that he was rolling his eyes. She ignored him, and hid her smile in the curve of Izzy’s neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the [25 Days of Christmas OTP Challenge](http://astudyinfic.tumblr.com/post/134012970809/25-days-of-christmas-otp-challenge).
> 
> The same thing is happening on my [Tumblr](http://dustyshadowhunters.tumblr.com/)!


	7. December 7: Pajamas

“You know, I haven’t slept in my own bed in…” Clary scrunched up her face, thinking. “I don’t even know. A month?”

“Hm.” Izzy was curled up next to her, wearing Clary’s Star Wars pajamas. After a moment, she added, “A month sounds about right.”

“All of my clothes are in your closet, too.” And Izzy wore them regularly, which was one of Clary’s favorite things in the world. “And my toothbrush is in your bathroom.” Was she hinting at something? Maybe.

Izzy smiled, stroking the rune on Clary’s collarbone. Of course she got the hint. “You should really just move in with me, officially.”

Clary’s smile widened, butterflies going wild in her stomach. It shouldn’t excite her this much. They’d been living together for months, basically. Still.

It would be official. And somehow that made all the difference.

As though Clary’s smile wasn’t all the answer Izzy needed, she prompted, “Well?”

“Yes. I would love that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the [25 Days of Christmas OTP Challenge](http://astudyinfic.tumblr.com/post/134012970809/25-days-of-christmas-otp-challenge).
> 
> The same thing is happening on my [Tumblr](http://dustyshadowhunters.tumblr.com/)!


	8. December 8: Tinsel

Instead of Mundane holidays like Christmas, Shadowhunters had demon season; and instead of Christmas parties, they had demon-season-is-halfway-over-and-we’re-still-alive parties. Clary thought that was a bit morbid, but Izzy was looking forward to it, so she kept it to herself.

This year, since Luke, Simon and Magnus were invited as well, Izzy had decided that the Institute could use some decorating. Magnus had agreed to help, of course, and when they were done the building looked like a winter wonderland, with magic twinkling lights floating in the halls and fake icicles hanging from the ceiling. Magnus had even made it snow in the greenhouse.

Or at least Jace had said so. Clary hadn’t seen it yet because Magnus had taken Alec there to show him and they hadn’t come back yet. Clary knew better than to follow them. She had made that mistake once before and she wasn’t going to repeat it.

She found Izzy attaching tinsel to a stair railing and hugged her from behind, hooking her chin over her girlfriend’s shoulder.

“Hey there, stranger.”

“Hey.” Izzy smiled and turned in her embrace, wrapping a tinsel garland around Clary’s shoulders and using it to pull her into a kiss.

Clary returned it and rested their foreheads together.

“So, do you like it?” Izzy asked, playing with a strand of red hair.

Clary hummed. “It’s beautiful. I can’t wait to see the greenhouse.”

Izzy laughed. “I don’t think we want to go there right now. But,” she pulled away to smirk at Clary, “I decorated our room, too. We could go take a look at that.”

Clary didn’t need to be told twice. “Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the [25 Days of Christmas OTP Challenge](http://astudyinfic.tumblr.com/post/134012970809/25-days-of-christmas-otp-challenge).
> 
> The same thing is happening on my [Tumblr](http://dustyshadowhunters.tumblr.com/)!


	9. December 9: Ice Skating

On their next day off, Magnus portalled them to a frozen lake, hidden somewhere in the middle of a snowy forest. He came prepared, with skates and hot chocolate and picnic blankets, on which Izzy and Clary sat down to watch Jace and Alec embarrass themselves on the ice - at least that was what Alec had sworn would happen. To Clary, it looked like they were both doing pretty well.

“Are you sure they’ve never done this before?” She asked, keeping her arm tight around Izzy’s waist as she took a sip of her hot chocolate. She didn’t know where they were, exactly, but it was cold here.

“I’m sure.”

Clary thought about the first time her mother had taken Simon and her ice-skating. Clary had fallen flat on her ass at least twenty seven times. Jace had only fallen two times and Alec hadn’t stumbled once.

“Is this a Lightwood thing? You’re good at everything you do, even if you’ve never done it before?” It was kind of annoying, really.

Izzy chuckled. “I think it’s a Shadowhunter thing. We’re bad at emotions, and good at everything else.”

Clary considered that. “Sounds about right.”

“Do you want to join them?” Izzy asked, cuddling closer.

“Do you?”

Izzy tucked her cold nose under Clary’s chin. “I think I’m good here.”

Clary was definitely okay with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the [25 Days of Christmas OTP Challenge](http://astudyinfic.tumblr.com/post/134012970809/25-days-of-christmas-otp-challenge).
> 
> The same thing is happening on my [Tumblr](http://dustyshadowhunters.tumblr.com/)!


	10. December 10: Frost

Clary had never had strong emotions about winter. She didn’t hate it but she didn’t love it either. The weather was the weather, it couldn’t be changed, and there was no point getting worked up about it.

This year, however, she found one thing she really loved about the cold; it gave Izzy an excuse to wear Clary’s sweatshirts. Not that she needed an excuse. They’d been wearing each other’s clothes ever since they had met. But since it had started snowing, Izzy was wearing Clary’s sweatshirts almost every day. She made them look adorable and somehow also unfairly hot, and when Clary got them back they smelled like Izzy (lavender shampoo and rose perfume and a hint of the disinfectant she used at the lab), which was a bonus.

“You should keep this one.” Clary said one morning, still in bed while Izzy got dressed. The sweatshirt she had chosen today was one of Clary’s favorites, oversized and soft and well-worn, a faded burgundy that looked amazing with Izzy’s dark hair.

“No, it’s yours.” Izzy bent down to kiss her. “That’s part of the fun. Besides - if you stopped wearing it, it wouldn’t smell like you anymore.”

Clary, who kept borrowing Izzy’s pajamas for the same reason, found she couldn’t argue with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the [25 Days of Christmas OTP Challenge](http://astudyinfic.tumblr.com/post/134012970809/25-days-of-christmas-otp-challenge).
> 
> The same thing is happening on my [Tumblr](http://dustyshadowhunters.tumblr.com/)!


	11. December 11: Eggnog

Despite Clary’s subtle (and Jace’s not-so-subtle) hints that she probably shouldn’t, Izzy had made eggnog for the party.

“Come on, try it.” She was looking at Clary expectantly.

Clary, well aware that Jace and Alec were watching her, looked down into her glass of white liquid and decided that she loved Izzy too much to be afraid of this.

And Izzy had made it for her. To make Clary’s first demon-season-is-halfway-over-and-we’re-still-alive party a bit more… Mundane. A bit more festive. So Clary took a deep breath, and then she poured the drink down her throat. It made her eyes water, and she pressed a hand against her stomach.

“It’s - good.” She bit back a cough, and managed a smile. “It’s good.”

Izzy poured a glass for herself and took a sip, and for a moment, Clary was sure she would spit it back out. Then she swallowed, covering her mouth.

“Oh- by the angel. This is terrible!” She cleared her throat and put the glass down. “Eggnog is nasty.”

“Honestly, Iz, I don’t think-” Jace began, but Clary shut him up with a glare before he could point out that eggnog was probably not supposed to taste like this.

“Well, now you know.” She took Izzy’s hand and knotted their fingers together. “Come on, I think Luke brought cider. Let’s try that.”

Izzy was a terrible cook. There was no denying that. She was easily the smartest person Clary had ever met; easily the kindest, and the most beautiful, too. She was amazing at absolutely everything. But in the kitchen she was lethal.

And Clary? Clary loved that about her, like she loved everything about her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the [25 Days of Christmas OTP Challenge](http://astudyinfic.tumblr.com/post/134012970809/25-days-of-christmas-otp-challenge).
> 
> The same thing is happening on my [Tumblr](http://dustyshadowhunters.tumblr.com/)!


	12. December 12: Cider

Luke’s cider was much better than Izzy’s eggnog. In fact, it was a little too good, and Clary ended up having a little too much. That was the only explanation she had for why she thought it was a good idea to hug Izzy and mutter into her ear, her voice all seductive and low, “Hey, hey, Izzy, guess what - I think I’m a snowflake, because I’m falling for you.”

For a moment, Izzy just held her, not responding at all. Then she pulled away, and Clary could see that she was trying very hard not to laugh. And that, to Clary’s tipsy brain, counted as an unqualified success.

“Is that… a winter-themed pickup line?” Izzy asked, dropping her hands to Clary’s hips. “Really? I didn’t know those existed.”

“They exist.” And Clary knew because she’d googled it, earlier today. She had a lot of them, and she was determined to use them all. “Can I take a picture of you?”

“Alright, I’ll play along.” Izzy decided. “Sure, why?”

“So I can show Santa what I want for Christmas.”

Izzy laughed. “Smooth.”

“Also - are you Christmas, because I want to Merry you. You know – merry with an ‘e’.”

“That’s so romantic.” Izzy teased, leaning in to peck Clary’s lips. “Actually - I think I have one too. You know, since we’re talking about Santa… I think we should both be naughty this year, and save him the trip.”

Clary pulled away slightly to see if she was suggesting what Clary thought she was suggesting; and Izzy’s smirk told her that yes, she definitely was.

“I think that’s a great idea.” Clary took Izzy’s hand, lacing their fingers together and pulling her away from the crowd. “But I should warn you: I take romance to a new level. I don’t cuddle, I hibernate.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the [25 Days of Christmas OTP Challenge](http://astudyinfic.tumblr.com/post/134012970809/25-days-of-christmas-otp-challenge).
> 
> The same thing is happening on my [Tumblr](http://dustyshadowhunters.tumblr.com/)!


	13. December 13: Peppermint

Clary sighed deeply, popping another piece of peppermint candy into her mouth. Izzy and Alec were needed in Idris and they had left Jace and Clary in charge of the Institute. And in charge of all the paperwork, as well.

At first, Clary had been happy about that, grateful for the distraction, thinking it would keep her from missing her girlfriend too much; until she had realized Jace was right, and boredom did not make for a good distraction at all. If anything, boredom made things worse.

Peppermint candy was her only comfort, these days. Peppermint candy, and Magnus. Jace refused to listen to her complaining about missing Izzy - insisting that she was overreacting because “they’ve been gone for three days, Clary, come on”, like three days wasn’t a tortuously long time - but Magnus was always on board.

Unfortunately, Magnus was not home tonight. He was busy helping a client with a summoning ritual. And because self-pity was easier than looking for something else to pass her time with, Clary was sitting on the bed, wearing one of Izzy’s sweaters and eating peppermint candy while trying not to fall asleep over the paperwork she was supposed to be doing.

It was easier said than done. After reading the same paragraph for the fourth time because the words refused to stay in her brain, she put the report aside and stared into her bowl of candy, wondering how many of these it would take to bribe Jace into filling it out for her.

As though he could read her thoughts, Jace chose that moment to knock on the door.

“Come on. You’re gonna wanna see this.”

Clary doubted it, but she followed him anyway. Jace took her to the main entrance, and what Clary saw when she got there made her happier than all the peppermint candy in the world - because Izzy was back.

“Oh, thank god.” She pulled her girlfriend into a tight hug and kissed her deeply. “I missed you so much.”

Izzy laughed. “I’ve only been gone for three days.”

“Shh.” Clary kissed her again.

“Mm.” Izzy hummed against her lips. “Peppermint.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the [25 Days of Christmas OTP Challenge](http://astudyinfic.tumblr.com/post/134012970809/25-days-of-christmas-otp-challenge).
> 
> The same thing is happening on my [Tumblr](http://dustyshadowhunters.tumblr.com/)!


	14. December 14: Gingerbread

“Come on. It’ll be fun!” Izzy tried again. The look Alec shot her was beyond unimpressed.

“Really?” He glanced at the setup on the counter and shook his head. “I can think of at least fifteen things we could be doing that would be more fun than gluing slabs of gingerbread together. You know, productive things?”

Izzy raised a brow. “What, like work? On our day off?”

Alec opened his mouth, then closed it again. “Well…”

Before he could come up with an excuse to spend his day off working, Magnus stepped into the kitchen. “There you are, darling. I checked the wards, like you asked. They’re as secure as they’re going to get. What’s this?”

“We’re building gingerbread houses.” Clary explained. “Want to join in?”

Magnus didn’t let her down. “Oh, of course! That sounds like fun.”

“God. Fine.” Alec sighed. “Let’s do it, then.”

As Izzy had predicted, it was fun. Even Alec dropped his frown eventually. There was laughter and there were kisses, and an hour later they were standing in front of their finished gingerbread houses, Magnus and Alec with smug grins on their faces, and Izzy and Clary staring at them incredulously.

Izzy and Clary had built a cute little house, very traditional, with marshmallow snowmen and gummy roof tiles and a fence made of candy canes.

Magnus’ and Alec’s gingerbread house was not really a house, it was a miniature model of the Institute that transformed into an abandoned church if you snapped your fingers - and if you clapped your hands the windows lit up.

“Well,” Clary said, drily, “clearly there’s no way you cheated and used magic to build this.”

Magnus’ grin was shameless. “Biscuit, you and Isabelle spent half an hour making out on the counter.” He wiped away a smudge of icing on Alec’s cheek, making Alec blush. “You got something out of this, even if our house is much better than yours.”

Clary couldn’t argue with that. And she was pretty proud of their house, either way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the [25 Days of Christmas OTP Challenge](http://astudyinfic.tumblr.com/post/134012970809/25-days-of-christmas-otp-challenge).
> 
> The same thing is happening on my [Tumblr](http://dustyshadowhunters.tumblr.com/)!


	15. December 15: Presents

Funnily enough, the most stressful part about getting Izzy a demon-season-is-finally-over-and-we’re-still-alive present wasn’t buying it, it was hiding it and dodging her attempts to get Clary to tell her what it was. The same thing could be said for Jace, too, and Clary was beginning to suspect that the old saying ‘Patience is a virtue’ had never caught on in the Shadow World.

Fortunately, the Institute was a huge building with lots of nooks and crannies perfect for stashing presents, and so she sneaked away from her friends after breakfast, got her bag of gifts from her room, and began looking for a hiding place.

Half an hour in, she bumped into Alec - who was also carrying a rather suspicious looking bag.

“So this is just as hard for you?” Clary asked, peeking behind a bookshelf to see if she could squeeze a present into the gap.

“Are you kidding me?” Alec huffed. “Magnus has been hitting me with puppy eyes since Halloween. And it’s not only because he wants to know what I got him, he also wants me to ask what he got for me. It’s terrible. He’s four hundred years old, you’d think he’d be more patient than that.”

Clary laughed. “Izzy keeps asking for hints. She thinks she’s being subtle, but she really isn’t. You know,” she pulled the slimmest gift out of the bag and slid it behind the bookcase. “I’m kind of relieved to hear you’re struggling too. It’s good to know I’m not the only normal person around here.”

Alec raised his brow. “Careful. You’ll make me think we can stand each other.” He was smiling, though, and Clary smiled back.

“Well, wouldn’t that be a real Christmas miracle.”

She was pretty sure she was growing on him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the [25 Days of Christmas OTP Challenge](http://astudyinfic.tumblr.com/post/134012970809/25-days-of-christmas-otp-challenge).
> 
> The same thing is happening on my [Tumblr](http://dustyshadowhunters.tumblr.com/)!


	16. December 16: Fireplace

They were sitting on the floor in front of Magnus’ fireplace, Clary leaning against the couch and Izzy leaning against Clary, when Izzy brought it up again.

“Are you sure you’re not going to tell me?”

Clary hid her smile in Izzy’s dark hair. “Yes, I’m sure.”

“You know…” Izzy laced their fingers together and pulled Clary’s arms tighter around her waist. “If you asked me about your present, I would tell you.”

“I know, that’s why I’m not asking you.”

Izzy tilted her head back so she could look at Clary. “So you don’t want to know?”

They had been over this at least seven times, and Clary rolled her eyes good-naturedly. Of course she wanted to know. But wasn’t that part of the fun?

“Waiting is part of it, Izzy.”

Izzy sighed and turned to face the fireplace again. “This is like my birthday all over again.”

“Well, if you’re that bothered by it…” Clary kissed her pulse point, smiling when Izzy hummed and pressed closer. “I know a few things we could do to pass the time.”

“Mm.” Izzy twisted around to kiss her properly. “Fine. You win.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the [25 Days of Christmas OTP Challenge](http://astudyinfic.tumblr.com/post/134012970809/25-days-of-christmas-otp-challenge).
> 
> The same thing is happening on my [Tumblr](http://dustyshadowhunters.tumblr.com/)!


	17. December 17: Stocking

Clary looked down at the stocking she’d just filled, biting her lip. She’d put in candy and glitter nail polish, two things she knew Izzy would enjoy, but then she’d also added the first season of CSI: NY, and this was the part that made her kind of nervous.

On one hand, Izzy seemed to enjoy Mundane television. She loved Star Wars and she adored high school movies, even the terrible ones. A Mundie TV show seemed like a pretty safe gift.

On the other hand, Clary knew that the show probably wasn’t very accurate and Izzy, as the best forensic pathologist in New York, might not appreciate that at all.

This was quite nerve-racking, and Clary felt tempted to take the DVD out, or maybe show it to Izzy and ask her what she thought. It would ruin the surprise, yes, but at least she’d have time to get Izzy something else if she didn’t like it.

And Izzy would be happy. She still hadn’t stopped asking about the present, she would be thrilled.

But - no. Waiting was part of the fun, Clary had meant that, and she wouldn’t give in. If Izzy didn’t like the gift, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. So Clary pulled herself together and put the stocking where she had hidden the other presents too.

She couldn’t wait to give it to Izzy.


	18. December 18: Cookies

“Oh, come on. I used a recipe this time!” Izzy promised, holding up her tray of cookies.

Alec was frowning and Jace was already backing away, trying to fade into the background. Remembering Izzy’s attempt at making eggnog, Clary felt tempted to do the same - but she had been brave then and she would be brave now.

“Alright.” She stepped closer. “I’ll try one.”

She picked up the smallest cookie and turned it in her hand. It looked good. And it didn’t smell bad, either, so she took a bite, and - well, by the angel.

“These are - they’re great, Izzy.” Izzy looked as surprised as Clary felt. And maybe a little bit doubtful, too. But Clary wasn’t lying. “No, seriously, they’re actually delicious.”

Alec, intrigued, reached for a cookie as well - and put it down after the first bite, looking as though he was trying very hard not to cough it up again.

The same thing happened to Jace. “God.” He got himself a glass of water. “You must really love her.”

“Duh.” Clary shrugged and took another cookie. “But I really think they’re good.”

“Maybe you have better taste than them.” Izzy hugged her, and the kiss she planted on Clary’s lips was much sweeter than any cookie. “I love you too.”


	19. December 19: Santa

Clary tightened her grip around her dagger, the handle protruding from a round belly, the glowing white blade a stark contrast against Santa’s fuzzy red coat. The old man was staring at her with wide eyes, warm and friendly despite the shock that was written in them. His white beard was a tousled mess, turning red where blood was trickling from the corner of his mouth, his round sat glasses askew on his nose.

“What- how- why-” He was stammering, and Clary rolled her eyes and watched him impatiently, waiting for Santa to die already.

When his eyes turned bright blue at last she quickly ducked, dodging Santa’s tentacles and jumping out of the way when he disintegrated so she wouldn’t be cleaning demonic Santa ash out of her hair for days.

“Well, I can see why you call it demon season. This really puts a damper on the Christmas spirit.” She decided, sheathing her blade.

“Your first ever Santa kill.” Izzy chuckled, stealing a quick kiss before they were moving again. “I’m so proud of you.”


	20. December 20: Sled

“You’re not going to tell us where we’re going?” Alec asked, eyeing the portal suspiciously.

Magnus shot him a bright smile. “Don’t you trust me, darling?”

Alec crossed his arms. “No offense; but as a rule, I don’t trust any of you people.”

“Well, I trust you.” Clary said, pulling Izzy towards the portal. “Come on.”

Alec sighed deeply but yielded and took Magnus’ hand, and then Izzy’s, and together they stepped through the portal - and right into what, to Clary, looked like it should be a painting.

“Where are we?” She asked, looking around in awe. She could see mountains and woods and snow, so much snow, sparkling in the sunlight. It was beautiful.

“Austria.” Magnus answered, the portal fading behind him. “Kitzbühel, to be precise. One of the world’s fanciest ski resorts.”

“Okay. This is - wow.” Even Alec looked impressed, and Clary noticed that Magnus couldn’t keep his eyes off him.

Not that she was any better. She was finding it very hard not to stare at Izzy’s fascinated face, too.

“But… none of us can ski.” She finally pointed out, glancing back at Magnus.

“Biscuit, I know. That’s why I brought these.” He snapped his fingers and two sleds appeared in front of them.

“Yes.” Izzy grabbed Clary’s hand and tugged her onto one of them. “Come on. We’ll race you to the bottom, boys.”


	21. December 21: Snow Man

Once Izzy and Clary had gotten bored of their sled race - or, to be more accurate, bored of losing to Magnus and Alec and their magically sped up sled - they moved on to building snow men.

Once again, Magnus cheated, making one that not only looked like a real person but also moved and talked like one.

The snow man competition turned into a snow ball fight, and this time Magnus didn’t have to cheat to win; all he had to do was stand back and let his archer boyfriend do the work, because Alec’s aim was flawless even with snow balls.

Eventually Izzy and Clary concluded that they might as well give up, and they sat down behind their barricade and found a more productive way to spend their time. It involved kisses and sitting in Izzy’s lap, and Clary decided that making out in the snow was her favorite winter sport, by far.

They were interrupted when Magnus and Alec decided to check on them, and Magnus chuckled when he saw them.

“Well, well. And we thought you’d taken some snowballs to the head and passed out. We were worried.”

“Yes.” Alec agreed drily. “That’s exactly what we thought. It never crossed our minds that you might be making out. It’s not like that’s basically all you do, these days.”

“Well, now you know we’re fine.” Clary bit back a giggle when Izzy kissed the ticklish spot under her jaw. “You can go.”

“Or,” Magnus waved his hands and fished four steaming mugs out of thin air, “we could have hot chocolate first.”

Clary glanced at Izzy, who shrugged.

“There’s cookies, too.” Magnus added.

“I think that’s acceptable.” Izzy said, and Clary agreed.


	22. December 22: Jingle Bells

Listening to Christmas songs while doing paperwork was a bad idea, Clary concluded, looking down at the report she was supposed to be writing. This was the third time she’d zoned out and doodled Christmas trees in the margins of her report. Alec wouldn’t be impressed.

But it was also a great idea. Because Izzy was here too, chewing on her pen and humming along to Jingle Bells, and Clary could seem to stop smiling.

It was weird. Last year, her life had been normal. There had been no demons, her mom hadn’t been a Shadowhunter, Luke hadn’t been a werewolf, Simon hadn’t been a vampire, and her father hadn’t been a homicidal maniac who wanted to destroy the world. Her biggest problems had been getting into art school, and helping Simon find a name for his band that wasn’t too terrible.

A year later, her life was very different. Worse, in some ways. Better, in others. And when she looked at Izzy now, her girlfriend, her beautiful, funny, intelligent, strong, thoughtful, utterly perfect girlfriend, she realized that she was happier than she had ever been before.

Yes, the demons were a bit of a bummer. And Valentine was a problem. But Clary had Izzy, and she wouldn’t give this up for anything.

When Izzy looked up, having noticed Clary’s eyes on her, Clary smiled at her.

“What?” Izzy asked, confused, but her answering smile was warm.

“Nothing.” Clary snapped herself out of it, shaking her head. “Nothing. I’m just… being sappy.”

“You’re adorable.” Izzy chuckled, taking Clary’s hand and kissing her knuckles, before going back to work.


	23. December 23: Carols

“Where are they?” Clary hissed under her breath, looking around frantically.

Jace pulled her to the side before she could crash into a group of people and Clary thanked him, mentally kicking herself for forgetting that Mundies wouldn’t get out of her way while she was glamoured.

She was nervous. They were looking for a group of Shapeshifters and Izzy’s necklace had been pulsing for ten minutes - but the area was crowded with Mundanes, buzzing around doing the last of their Christmas shopping, and the demons where hiding among them, impossible to find.

“This isn’t working.” Izzy was getting impatient too, her whip curling around her fingers. “We need to find them before they hurt anyone. Alec, do you think Magnus could- wait.”

She stopped dead in her tracks and Clary almost ran into her.

“What?” Alec grabbed Jace’s sleeve to stop him, too.

“The carol singers.” Izzy turned around and pointed at a group of kids, dressed up as angels and Santa’s elves. “We’ve passed them three times. They haven’t moved. And they’re not singing.”

Just as she said it, one of the children looked up - and instead of looking through Izzy, like any Mundane would, he looked right at her. His eyes turned bright blue, and the next moment the whole group was running away, and the Shadowhunters were chasing after them.

They finally cornered them in an empty alleyway, and when the demons attacked they were ready.

“Carol singers.” Alec complained, sending one little elf back to Hell with an arrow to the chest. “Kids.”

“This is much worse than Santa.” Clary shouted, cutting through a demon Izzy had sent her way using her whip.

“Like I said,” Jace replied, “Shapeshifters are jerks.”


	24. December 24: Icicle

No mission, no matter how important, could have stopped Clary from visiting Magnus’ loft on the night of the 24th, the beginning of the first Hanukkah Simon would be celebrating without his family. He’d decided he wasn’t ready to spend that much time around them, and even though he’d been smiling when he had told her, she knew that this had to be incredibly difficult for him. So she wanted to be there for him. Izzy, Jace and Alec joined her, and when they arrived at the loft she quickly realized that Magnus had decided he would be there for Simon, too.

The whole place was covered in lights and sparkling blue and silver ornaments, and since Simon had liked the magical snow at the Institute so much Magnus had made it snow in the living room. Soft white flakes, twinkling like tiny stars, were falling from the ceiling, which was covered in icicles, glistening in the light. It was beautiful.

And Simon, who opened the door for them, looked a lot happier than he had the night before. “Are you guys seeing this?” He stepped aside so they could come in. “I woke up this afternoon and I had to pinch myself like four times. This place looks like it should be on some kind of fancy interior design blog. This is unattainable magazine perfection.”

“What can I say?” Magnus was sitting on the couch, a glass of wine in his hand and his cat in his lap. “Making puppy-eyed vampires happy is quite high on my list of favorite pastimes. It comes right after ‘pissing off the Clave’, and it’s much less risky.”

They watched as Simon lit a candle on the menorah Magnus had gotten for him, and then they all sat down to eat and talk; much to Clary’s surprise, Simon ate almost a whole plate of potato latkes. He still wasn’t that good at stomaching food that didn’t contain blood, so Clary suspected it was some kind of special vampire version Magnus had gotten for him.

All in all, it was a great night. They all ended up staying over, Clary falling asleep on the couch, curled up against Izzy’s side, and when they left the next morning, Simon was smiling again. And this time, it looked genuine.


	25. December 25: Christmas Movies

“That’s pretty.” Magnus muttered when the Griswold house finally lit up in all its glory. “I should do that.”

“To your loft?” Alec glanced down at Magnus’ head in his lap. “Your neighbors wouldn’t thank you.”

“Ah, you’re probably right.” Magnus sighed. “But - I do have this little house just outside of Paris…”

“You have a house in France?” Clary looked up from where she was curled up against Izzy’s side.

“I do.” Magnus smiled, closing his eyes when Alec ran a hand through his hair. “I bought it from the same woman who sold me my apartment in Milan.”

That got Izzy’s attention. “You have an apartment in Milan?” She raised her head from Clary’s shoulder. “And you’ve never taken me there?”

“Guys!” Jace was sitting in the middle of Magnus’ huge sofa, cuddling with Chairman Meow. “Can we just watch the movie, please? I can’t hear anything.”

“Yeah, I agree.” Simon muttered, curled up in Magnus’ armchair, munching on his vampire-friendly sufganiyah.

“You might want to cover Chairman’s eyes for this part.” Clary told Jace sometime later, when Aunt Bethany’s cat started chewing on the cables.

“What, why?” Jace asked, but did as he was told. “What’s going- oh. Oh, god. No!”

“Christmas movies are strange.” Izzy muttered.

Clary laughed. “You have no idea. Let’s watch The Grinch next.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well - that's it! If I find another set of holiday-themed prompts I'm definitely doing this again next year. It was so much fun.  
> Thank you all so much for reading and for your support and your amazing comments! I hope you're all having wonderful holidays :)


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